Spicy chickpea and spinach stew

What’s in a chickpea? A cupful of these cute little peas contains a whopping 15 grams of protein, 13 grams dietary fiber, 50% potassium, 69% iron, 55% vitamin B6 and 57% magnesium. If that’s not reason enough to eat them, chickpeas are also packed with vitamin K, phosphorous, folate, zinc, copper and other important vitamins. Chickpeas are also one of the only high-fiber legumes easily digested by those with IBS.

Mediterranean countries take full advantage of this high-protein, high-fiber legume, serving chickpeas in salads, ground in hummus, or simply cooked, seasoned and eaten as a nutritious snack. I say it’s about time the rest of the world followed suit!

The savory flavor in this chickpea dish comes from dried Indian brown mustard, hot Spanish paprika and plenty of fresh garlic cloves. The spinach adds flavor, texture and more iron – no excuses for skipping your workout after this power-packed dish.

Ingredients

1 bag raw chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

6 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon ground brown Indian mustard

2 teaspoons hot Spanish paprika

1 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt

Few dashes black pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

5 ounces frozen spinach

Directions

Presoak chickpeas for 6 hours or overnight. Drain water.

Pour chickpeas into medium pot and cover with water. Add garlic cloves and seasonings, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cover.

Cook for an hour and a half. Check water level to make sure it stays above the chickpeas and add more if necessary.

Add spinach, and cook for another 30 minutes or until chickpeas are soft.